Modding

Game Boy Modding and Repairs: A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners

May 17, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Ever wanted to repair or modify your own OG Nintendo Game Boy? If you answered yes, then Björn Fogelberg’s Game Boy Modding and Repairs: A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners (Kindle book) is for you!

This book has illustrated detailed guides for the most common mods for improved video and sound. You can read all about installing a backlight kit and bivert chip without breaking anything (that is good to know! – Ed), and all the how to guides, like the how to do the pro sound mod, how to get rid of background noise and how to build a kit for retrobrighting shells, among many more. There is a whole section dedicated to repairs, with easy solutions to the OG Game Boy’s most common problems. The best bit is that this book is for everyone, even those that have no prior knowledge or skill (That’s us! – Ed) in installing, soldering, modding or repairing the Game Boy.

Grab Game Boy Modding and Repairs: A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners now!

image source: Björn Fogelberg

Droolworthy Exotic Commodore 64 Creations

June 22, 2020 By ausretrogamer

While trawling through a few Facebook retro gaming enthusiast groups, as you do, we came across some unbelievably amazing and super droolworthy Commodore 64 creations by John Papas!

What we saw made our jaw drop so hard, that we are still having trouble picking it up off the floor! Just scroll down slowly and take in all the hybrid C64 awesomeness! We love the 64-TX and who needs the SX-64 when you can have the CX-64! To be honest, we want them all!!!

To say we would love to get our hands on any (preferably, all) of these unique C64 creations by John Papas would be the biggest understatement of the year – Simply stunning creations!

source: Australian Retro PC Enthusiasts on Facebook

Nintendo Switch GameCube Controller Mod

January 17, 2020 By ausretrogamer

When it comes to hacking or modding, there are certain creations that make a lot of sense. Shank Mods’ Nintendo Switch GameCube Joy-Cons are exactly the mod we would love to become a retail product for all of us to enjoy!

Shank Mods goes into detail of this creation, which wasn’t easy, by any stretch of the imagination. Us mere mortals would be incapable to follow the instructions for fear of bricking our Switch or worse, sacrificing a working GameCube controller which would no doubt end up breaking. Having said that, there are other peeps out there that are adept to following instructions and taking calculated risks, which pay off – and this one is a big pay off, as the Joy-Cons are based on one of the best controllers of all time!

As this mod was quite gruelling, Shank Mods has confirmed that these Nintendo Switch GameCube Joy-Cons are a one-off, making them super ultra rare. So if you would like a pair, you better get hacking!

source: Shank Mods

[story source: technabob]

TMNT SNES Party Wagon Retro System

August 6, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Check out this one of a kind TMNT SNES Party Wagon console created by Jarno Kotavuopio (aka: JRN33). Surely this would be the first Turtles SNES Party Wagon in the world?!

We love everything about this, from the headlights and passenger compartments lighting up, working tail lights, glass windows, to the steering wheel, the secret battle button “Turtle Power” and the original car parts!

But wait, there is more – the POWER and RESET buttons are located on top just in front of the controller ports and the top loading cart slot. The power and audio/video cables plug into jacks mounted on the back of the van. To ensure completeness, there are matching custom painted controllers and game cartridge. Jarno informs us that all stickers on the controllers, game carts and wagon are custom made (with the exception of the TMNT logo).

Turtle SNES power!

source: Jacki33 via Deviantart

Nintoaster: A Toasty 8-Bit Console

July 31, 2019 By ausretrogamer

It is quite obvious that Nintendo’s old school console make for very good toasters. Or should that be, toasters make for very good old school Nintendo consoles?

Whichever way you look at it, Nintendo’s classic consoles go hand in hand with toasters as we have shown here on previous occasions. This latest creation by Finnish artistic modder Jarno Kotavuopio (aka: Jaki33) is his second Nintoaster that he has built.

This Nintoaster does everything that a regular NES consoles does, it can play 8-bit NES video games, it has a power and reset buttons, LED brightness control, and of course a matching controller that tops off this very cool creation. The only thing it won’t do is toast your bread. Hmm, we can’t have it all 😉

source: jarnok33

[via: technabob]

An Atari 2600 Transforms Into The Lynx 2600

November 9, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Retro Revolutions’ resident console modder, Jarred Green has mashed the venerable Atari VCS / 2600 (4-switch) console with Atari’s powerful colour handheld, the Lynx, to create one drool-worthy and awesome system – the Atari Lynx 2600! Having an eye for detail, Jarred doesn’t do things by halves – he complimented his unique console creation with an equally awesome custom packaging (by Logan Hunt from NeonVision Design) that wouldn’t look out of place on the shelves at your local video games retailer!

So how does the Atari Lynx 2600 hold up? Is it durable? Does it play well? Do the Lynx handheld games translate well to console / TV mode? Well, what a better way to have answered these questions than by having the Atari Lynx 2600 available for play (Ed: you mean punishment!) during one of the biggest gaming events in the southern hemisphere, PAX Aus 2018!

The Atari Lynx 2600 was an absolute winner and a head-turner at PAX Aus 2018

Over the course of the three day PAX Aus event, the Atari Lynx 2600 was never left unattended, with gamers playing a swag of Lynx games, including California Games, with their reactions always being the same – huge smiles and just wowing at Jarred’s creation. The amount of positive feedback was actually quite overwhelming. Jarred was always on hand to answer questions from eager gamers, from how he made the console to being asked if he could create one or do a production run for them to buy one! Actually, you can lump us in that category – we want one too!

Retro Revolutions doesn’t do things by halves! The Atari Lynx 2600 comes in its own unique retail packaging!

For the technically minded, the Atari Lynx 2600 sports some very impressive specifications that take advantage of current technologies, including output via HDMI. As we mentioned earlier, Jarred’s eye for detail extends from the aesthetics (like the airbrushed logos and the 3D printed cartridge adaptor for the Lynx carts – by Extreme Consoles), customs ports (for VGA and HDMI out) and custom paint detailing, to the innards with McWill’s LCD mod (with VGA output), the VGA to HDMI scaler (for compatibility with current displays) and of course the mapping and wiring of the Lynx controls to the DB9 joystick ports. Oh yeah, the one-button Atari joystick didn’t cut the mustard, so Jarred used a NES control-pad (also custom painted to compliment the colour scheme of the console) to implement the Lynx’s two button control system – he really did think of everything.

We can’t compliment Jarred enough, cause this is one super impressive mod that not only knocked our socks off, but it knocked the socks off thousands of PAX Aus attendees that got to play it – you can’t get a better endorsement than that! And yes, the Atari Lynx 2600 survived PAX Aus!

The Atari Lynx 2600 creator – Retro Revolutions’ Jarred Green

So what’s Jarred’s next creation? He tells us that he will have something just as unique and just as jaw-droppingly awesome as the Atari Lynx 2600. Perhaps we will see it at PAX Aus 2019? We honestly can’t wait!

You can follow Jarred’s awesome mod projects via his Retro Revolutions social platforms on Twitter and YouTube.

Watch the vid to see how the Atari Lynx 2600 evolved from idea to console!

source: Jarred Green, aka: Retro Revolutions